Deleted Scenes
by kestraTroi7
Summary: Shelby's just disappeared from the show, but what happened before she left? Deleted scenes of her goodbyes. 1: Will, 2: Troubletones, 3: Puck & Quinn
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. If I did, Idina Menzel would have had sang many more times.

I haven't seen the 3x09, but apparently Shelby just disappeared after Hold On To Sixteen. This story is going to be of four short 'deleted scenes' that I feel we should have seen.

**Deleted Scenes**

Unshed tears misted in Shelby's eyes as she sat at the piano, her fingers automatically ghosting a mindless melody.

The New Directions had deserved the win, she knew, but that did little to appease the creeping sadness at her first loss in years. Onstage, she had frozen at the announcement, despite her near certainty of the result. Catching sight of Sugar beginning to sob hysterically, she had drawn her in to a hug, consoling her, while mouthing a meaningless apology to the rest of the stricken group.

Soon after, she had escaped in to the empty classroom the Troubletones had been assigned. She had been afraid to look too deeply in to the eyes of Santana and Mercedes for fear of the inevitable blame that would lie there. And it was justified. The girls only looked as talented on stage as Shelby made them look. And they were very, very talented. The fault lay with her.

"That's very beautiful."

Startled, she swung around. Will was standing at the doorway. She gave him a perplexed look, not understanding his meaning.

"What you were playing. I didn't know you were that good," He elaborated. Shelby had barely realised she had still been playing.

Shrugging, she gave him a wan smile. "Congratulations." Will opened his mouth to interrupt but she held up a hand. "I mean it. New Directions deserved the win."

He nodded his appreciation. "Thanks, Shelby. That means a lot from you, with your history with Vocal Adrenaline and… " He trailed off as he caught sight of her eyes, glistening with moisture. Covering the distance between them quickly, he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she murmured quietly.

Will regarded her searchingly. "You sure?"

She shook her head slowly. "It's stupid." She paused, uncertain of whether she should continue, but then her need to just get it out got the best of her. "I'm not used to the feeling of losing, Will. I used to be the best. For _four__years_ I was the best. And then I chose family over it, and I don't regret that choice for a second, but I missed it a little more every day, you know, that constant striving for perfection." She noticed Will's easy nod, he understood.

"I couldn't turn it down when Al Motta offered it to me again. I should have, though. I was distracted. Beth… Rachel…" Quinn… _Puck._"The girls deserved more from me. I… let them down." Will was already shaking his head. "Like I let down Rachel. Like I let down – "

"Hey," Will broke in. He pulled one of the chairs out from a desk and sat down in front of her. "You didn't let them down. They were incredible out there on that stage, and what they _deserve_from you, is for you to tell them that they went out there and gave it their all and that they were fantastic."

Shelby let out a short laugh and nodded ruefully. "They were fantastic, weren't they?"

"Without a doubt," Will agreed passionately. "And as for Rachel, you did what was best for her. You put her interests first, exactly what any good mother should do." Will tried to catch her eye. "You haven't let anyone down at all."

She stared ahead vacantly for a while, silently absorbing what he had said, before hesitantly speaking again. "You will let them come back, won't you? The Troubletones?"

"Of course," Will replied quickly, before catching himself. "I mean, that's provided that they even want to come back. Santana's probably hell-bent on destroying us right about now."

"I'll talk to them," Shelby promised.

"Thanks," Will said again. "But I think you should keep The Troubletones going. It was good for the girls, especially Mercedes and Santana. I know they had a lot of fun."

"I don't know, Will." She gave him a playful grin. "But now they've experienced it so much, their thrill for the spotlight will have intensified indefinitely. I don't envy your position, with those two divas, and Rachel," Her voice broke slightly, "And the boys. I know that boys can be the _worst_."

Through her rambling, Will detected an undercurrent of nostalgia. But he also felt something else coming. A goodbye.

"Shelby, are… are you leaving?" There was a long pause.

Finally, she looked in to his eyes. "I have to, Will, at least for a while, to sort myself out. And I haven't exactly been a positive force at McKinley anyway." He had _no_ idea. And hopefully never would.

Will could see in her eyes that there was nothing he could do to change her mind. She had to be at least as stubborn as Rachel. He bit his lip, not knowing what to say. "You don't give yourself nearly enough credit."

She raised her eyebrows at him, before standing. "Thank _you,_Will. You are honestly one of the best people I've had the pleasure of knowing."

"The feeling is mutual," Will responded, sincerity evident.

Shelby stepped forward and stood on her toes to kiss him lightly on the cheek. The two of them held their position for a brief moment, savouring the closeness, before Shelby pulled away.

"Now you better get them all the way to Nationals and bring home the Gold."

**I've never written Glee before so I don't know how that was. If you got through it I would appreciate a review, whether you liked or hated it.**

**Next chapter: Shelby saying goodbye to the Troubletones.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So sorry for the late update. Christmas, New Year's, etc. all got in the way of writing. Hopefully I'll be quicker with the next one. And I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year too!**

**This chapter's the Troubletones. We didn't get many Troubletones scenes, but Shelby hardly seemed as driven as she did with Vocal Adrenaline, and I think she'd be at least as good a coach as Will, if not better, and the girls would have appreciated that.**

**And thank you very much to the reviewers, and the people who put it on alert. Thank you so much! It means a lot to me. And don't worry, there will be a Shelby-Rachel chapter soon.**

**Anyway, a fair warning: this is a very dialogue driven chapter, i.e. you may find it boring.**

Shelby had no idea what to expect when she called the Troubletones together for what would be their final meeting. If it all went according to plan, she could apologise for their loss and give them a final speck of inspiration to take with them back to New Directions. If.

The bell rang. Shelby hated the school bells, so harsh and grating, and yet she hardly heard it. The bell was signalling the start of their meeting.

She stared in to the empty chairs of the Troubletones' spare classroom. Maybe none of them would turn up. It would almost be a relief, and she could hardly blame them. Sugar was well within her rights to be absolutely livid with her, Mercedes a little less so, and who knew what she could expect from Santana?

Drumming her fingers over the top of the piano to prevent them from trembling – the only outward sign of her nervousness she offered – she watched the minutes of the clock tick by. One minute… Two… Three…

The slight creaking of the door behind her surprised her. Mercedes and Sugar stood there hesitantly, Sugar unusually quiet. Shelby beckoned them forwards with a similar uncertainty. Having endured a full-on yelling from Al Motta, she wasn't sure what to expect from his daughter.

"I wasn't sure anyone would come." Her voice came out hoarse, betraying her emotions too plainly for her liking.

Unexpectedly, Mercedes gave her a free smile. "The others are on their way."

"Okay," She whispered in response. Grabbing some of the sheet music that lay on a back bench, she straightened it out and shoved it in to a file. Turning around to retrieve another, she saw that Santana, Brittany and the other Cheerios had slid in to the classroom without her noticing. _Great start._

Shelby tried to gauge their expressions, but failed. She offered them a slightly hollow smile and moved forwards. Closing her eyes for a fraction of a second to collect herself, she faced the small group.

"First of all, thanks for coming. I wouldn't have held it against you if you hadn't shown up." Again, she tried to read their faces. Nothing. She thought she saw a hint of a smile from Sugar, but she couldn't tell if it was genuine or patronising.

"I know that some of you might have had this talk before, and it might feel like you've heard it all so I won't take much of your time, but I want you girls to listen to me just one final time, because this… this is important."

Santana crossed her arms, suddenly looking defensive. Shelby caught the movement.

"I swear to you, I wouldn't be saying this if it weren't true." She paused, and looked at each of them, catching their eye one by one. "You were incredible up there. I couldn't be prouder of you, and I certainly hope that you're all proud of yourselves. And you have to bear in mind that we were barely together two months. Just think about the show we would have put on if we'd been together as long the New Directions."

Mercedes elbowed Santana, giving her a sly smile. "We would've kicked their asses, that's what."

Santana allowed herself a tense laugh and Shelby nodded in firm agreement. "Without a doubt. In fact, you did a pretty good job at that anyway."

She heard some giggly whoops from a few of the girls. Collecting herself for what she was about to say next, she pulled herself a chair and sat facing them, letting them judge her as an equal. They quietened down quickly, sensing her seriousness.

"So I have to apologise to you. I gave up being a coach two years ago to become a mother. I shouldn't have come back like this. I thought I could have it all, you know, be a mother, be a teacher, be the best coach all over again." She drew another breath. "My mistake was at your expense, and for that, I'm truly sorry."

She was met with silence. Uncertain of how to continue, she interpreted it as an invitation to continue.

"I take it that the New Directions have already approached you about rejoining them. I've spoken to Mr Schuester and I'm glad that if the Troubletones have done nothing else for you, they've pushed you to the forefront and forced him to see how talented each of you is. He is more than willing to distribute the solos more evenly this time around. In my opinion, he should never have let you go."

Santana finally spoke up. "So that's it? The Troubletones are over because we lost and we have to go crawling back to Mr Schue?"

Shelby gave her an apologetic look. "To your first question, yes, essentially. The Troubletones were only ever formed and funded by Sugar's father," she nodded towards Sugar, "To get to the top. Having failed in that regard, we've been disbanded."

Sugar opened her mouth and seemed about to say something, but shut her mouth again. Shelby continued.

"To the second part, that's completely your choice. But don't be rash in your decision. You're very lucky here at McKinley."

Santana rolled her eyes as if to say 'how?' almost making Shelby laugh out loud.

"Not like that. McKinley is just like any other high school, and really, anywhere else. There are always going to be people judging you. But I'm talking about Glee Club, about Mr Schuester," her eyes lit up as she spoke, and she became more animated. "You have a group of people… a family, even, that is willing to accept you for who you are. People who will never ask you to change, and that's a rare thing. If you ask me, that's a group it'd well be worth rejoining."

Shelby regarded Santana searchingly, and thought she almost saw her eyes glistening with moisture. _Trick of the light? _Mercedes had been nodding along with her as she spoke, and Brittany and Sugar both sat with their mouths slightly agape. The other girls seemed a little puzzled, but she supposed that, as Cheerios, they were already part of a group.

She stood up abruptly and faced Santana, Mercedes and Brittany, and partially Sugar. She wasn't sure what Sugar would choose to do.

"Go back to them and never look back. You won't regret it." A wistful look built up in her eyes. "I've looked back so many times, trust me. Focus on the future. You all have so much ahead of you." She turned to address the whole group again. "All of you."

"Sugar, whatever people tell you, you have talent." Santana huffed loudly. "Truly. Just keep working hard, and one day you'll blow them all away."

"Santana," she narrowed her eyes at the Hispanic girl teasingly, "I'm sure you know how remarkable you are. I admire your voice and your strength, but more than that, I admire who you are. Never change that for anyone."

"Mercedes… Where do I start? You are a star in every sense of the word, and it has been a pleasure to be your coach. Keep hitting those high notes." Mercedes positively beamed and mumbled her thanks.

"And Brittany… I never got to congratulate you on being elected Class President. You really do deserve it."

Brittany grinned happily, examining the charm. "Thanks Ms C, you're totally the most badass coach ever."

Shelby inclined her head in Brittany's direction. "I didn't get to know the rest of you well at all, but I have to say, I couldn't have asked for a more amazing group. Just last week I found out that none of you had ever performed before, aside from cheerleading. That's very impressive."

Letting out a long breath, she clasped her hands together. "That's it from me. Thank you for listening. Thank you for coming, for being part of the Troubletones. For everything else."

"Thank _you, _Ms Corcoran," Mercedes spoke up.

Shelby raised her eyebrows. "You don't need to thank me, Mercedes."

"Yes, we do," Two of the Cheerio girls, Nicole and Chloe, said in unison.

Sugar locked wide-eyes with Shelby. "I talked to my dad and he's sorry about yelling at you. Asperger's." She gave a little giggle. "It runs in the family."

"Oh." She hadn't expected that. "Tell him that it's okay."

"Mr Schuester told us that you're leaving," Brittany said, twirling her hair around her finger.

"Did he now," Shelby muttered under her breath.

Brittany blinked obliviously. "Yes."

"Well, he's right. I just need to take a break. Be a mother. Get away from all this competition," Her feeble laugh didn't fool any of the girls.

Santana stood up, "You know, I thought you were some crazy merciless bitch that made Vocal Adrenaline practice until their feet bled and they could hardly – "

"Santana!" Mercedes cut her off with a fierce glare and turned to Shelby with a rather fixed smile. "What Santana was trying to say, Ms Corcoran, was that you weren't what we expected."

"In a good way," Santana added.

"Thanks. That... means a lot to me."

Shelby noticed a couple of the Cheerios fidgeting in their seats. They seemed too polite to speak up, but she could tell they were eager to leave. "Go on, girls. You should get going."

Exchanging quick goodbyes with most of the girls, and getting a hug from Sugar, Brittany, and, surprisingly, an awkward one-armed pat on the back from Santana and many mutual wishes of well, she was left alone in the room with Mercedes.

The girl grinned widely. She had a beautiful smile. She'd been so lucky with the Troubletones. They probably could cure cancer, she mused, remembering a past instruction to the equally talented, albeit less soulful Vocal Adrenaline.

"Miss Corcoran, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed being part of the Troubletones. You made me a star."

Shelby winked at her. "Don't let Rachel steal the spotlight from you, even if she is my daughter. You deserve it just as much."

"Thanks." She squeezed the girl's shoulder, and was enveloped in a warm embrace. Out of all the girls, Mercedes had pushed herself the hardest to achieve while being part of the Troubletones. Shelby could tell how much she had wanted to take out Sectionals.

"Good luck, Mercedes."

"You too, Ms Corcoran,"

Mercedes left the classroom, leaving Shelby alone. She cleared up the final bits of sheet music on the shelf and brushed her fingers a last time over the piano keys in a muted farewell to the classroom. Making her way to the door, she hit the lights.

The classroom went black.

"Never look back," Shelby whispered softly to herself.

**Thanks for reading. Review! Please.**

**I don't really watch Glee regularly, so if something strikes you as 'off', feel free to let me know. In fact, please do.**

**Next Chapter: Puck, Quinn… Ooh…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yeah. It's been ages. But I thought I'd better finish it off.**

**I'm not a religious Glee-watcher but I heard Idina didn't come back near the end of the season. I suppose they kinda ruined Shelby, but it would've been nice to hear her sing again on the show.**

**Oh well, chapter three:**

"Puck!" Shelby rushed through the busy school hall following the boy with the mohawk. "Wait!"

He continued to push through the clumps of students, ignoring her.

"Puck!"

He reached a door and swung it open with a mighty heave, and making his way quickly across a courtyard without looking back.

Following him, she mentally kicked herself. She'd really screwed things up badly this time. She just had to reach him, and tell him and Quinn that –

A sharp stab of pain greeted her as her right leg collided painfully with the concrete and she gave an involuntary cry. In her haste, she'd lost her balance. Stupid freaking heels.

In an instant, he was by her side. Catching his face, she realised it was little more than a knee-jerk reaction. "Are you okay?"

Ignoring the radiating throbbing in her lower leg, she stood up, pulling herself together and masking her discomfort. Looking in to his eyes, she saw they held some genuine concern.

"Fine."

"Okay… You sure?"

"Yes."

An awkward silence stretched between them, aching to be broken, before Shelby remembered why she'd followed him. "Listen, Puck, about what happened between us, I want to…"

"Save it." Any hint of warmth that she might have sensed disappeared instantly.

"Please, Puck! Beth…"

A hint of vulnerability reached his eyes and he looked suddenly looked younger. "Don't."

She looked down. "I only wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. And…" She looked up.

He was already walking away.

**-GLEE-**

Puck or Quinn, she only needed to see one of them. Puck had been a disaster and she had a ugly bruise to show for it. Quinn… she was hesitant to approach.

So she had requested a final sub lesson for an English class that Quinn was in, and knew without looking that she was being profusely ignored, and rightly so. Had their positions been reversed… God. She would have been stabbed long ago.

She saw the students picking up their books and heading for the door and realised the bell had rung. Standing herself, she caught Quinn near the front and called her name.

The pretty girl rolled her eyes but hung back, whispering something to another girl that Shelby recognised from the Cheerios but didn't know by name.

"Look," Quinn said as soon as the last person left the room. "I didn't tell anyone what you did, and I'm not going to cause a scene in front of a class, but I don't want to talk to you. You can't say anything to make me think any differently of you, and I don't have anything to say to you."

Quinn pulled her notebook up to her chest and ducked out the door, leaving Shelby standing there, shell-shocked.

The worst part was that she knew it was all true.

**-GLEE-**

Mercedes, Santana, Brittany and Sugar returned to New Directions that day. Well, Mercedes, Santana and Brittany did. Sugar just came along.

Puck and Quinn sat together to the right of the group, after they finished the number. While Mr Schue was in his office answering his phone, Puck caught snippets of the conversations taking place around the room.

"… I can't believe he wants me to apply to the best dance school in the country, only last week …"

"… Lord Tubbington knocked over his bowl of water and got completely drenched …"

"… Do you reckon Shelby's really giving up on coaching Glee club? …"

Whoa. Rewind. Who was that? Mercedes. And Rachel. Figured. He focused on their voices.

"… cause she's a hell of a coach."

"I don't know. She only told me she was leaving to… sort herself out."

Puck whipped around to face Quinn. She too seemed to have been listening to the conversation.

"Shelby's leaving?" He whispered. "Did you know?"

Quinn shook her head. "I had no idea. You don't think… "

"She was trying to tell us? I ignored her."

"So did I," Quinn replied quickly.

They fell silent for a moment before locking eyes, a single thought on both their minds. "Beth."

**-GLEE-**

Shelby barely got Beth in to her crib before a loud knock on the door caused her daughter to start crying again.

"Shh, baby girl. It's okay," she whispered, before getting up to check the door.

Puck and Quinn.

She opened the door quickly and beckoned them inside, none of them saying a word. The only sound was Beth's quiet tears.

The two teenagers stood there awkwardly; Puck trying to pinpoint where Beth was, Quinn's face etched with yearning.

"Go on," Shelby managed to say, her voice hoarse.

That was all the two needed, they rushed past Shelby to their daughter's crib. She felt a stab of pain coarse through her as Puck resolutely avoided her gaze. A schoolboy crush… it really had been just that. It had been so long since anyone had told her they loved her. So long…

She caught sight of Puck playing with Beth. 'Monkeyface,' he called her. She'd thought that was adorable. Quinn hung back a little, smiling as she watched Puck.

The blond girl saw Shelby watching her and pursed her lips slightly. "Why are you leaving?"

Shelby raised her eyebrows. "You know why."

"I didn't tell."

"I know. And thank you. That doesn't make what I did any less wrong. It'd be selfish of me to stay."

Quinn narrowed her eyes. "So it's not selfish of you to come back and dangle our daughter in front of us with the promise of getting to know her and then taking her away from us again?"

Shelby wasn't sure how to respond to that, and looked down at her feet. When she looked up again, she saw Puck too listening intently. "It won't be the last time you see her. I promise."

Puck looked like he was about to say something, but swallowed awkwardly before beckoning Quinn forwards, adoration in his eyes as he watched Beth, the little wonder.

Quinn still looking uncertain, looked involuntarily back to Shelby, as though for guidance. Shelby nodded. "Hold her. Tell her you love her. Sing to her." Her voice broke at the last sentence.

Puck finally looked up at her, surprised to see tears glistening in her eyes. "What is it?"

Shelby gripped her hands tightly together, her voice coming out barely more than a whisper. "I never got to say goodbye to… to Rachel, you know? I signed that damned contract and then as soon as she came out, she was just gone, just like that."

Puck looked uncomfortable, but mumbled, "I'm sorry."

She bit her lip and smiled at him. A real smile, not one of the fake masks she'd been keeping up all day at school. "You know, Puck, you're a good kid… a good man. If you just stay away from us old ladies, you could really be something." Her contrived attempt at humour brought little more than a wince from her and barely any reaction from him.

Then, without warning, his expression softened. "Thanks, Shelby."

"For what?"

He paused, watching Quinn, as Beth played with her hair, and grinned at the sight, before turning back to her. "Just for not… You know… For pushing me away. Kind of. I mean, part of me still wants you, but I get it now. Why it would've been wrong."

"I'm glad you do." Her hand shaking, she reached forward and grasped his hand, squeezing it briefly, before quickly letting go. He turned his hand around and looked at it for a second before his gaze flicked back to Beth and he stole another awkward look at Shelby before inching forward to his daughter.

Puck was making faces with Beth, and her laughter was priceless. Quinn held the little bundle that was her daughter, pure joy lightening her face.

Tiptoeing to her bedroom, she pulled her camera from where it was charging by her laptop and made her way back over to the laughing trio.

"I'll email you a picture," She murmured, beckoning at the camera.

As the evening stretched on, it turned in to three, then seven, then eventually thirteen perfect pictures of Beth, Quinn and Puck.

Many hours later, as Quinn prepared to leave, she approached Shelby a final time. "I'm sorry too, you know, about trying to frame you as an unfit mother."

Shelby tried to wave it away. "It was nowhere near as… despicable… as what I did."

Quinn pressed on, insisting her point. "It could have been. I could have hurt Beth. My baby girl. Your baby girl."

"Our baby girl." Shelby regarded the teenager before her, before making a snap decision. "How would you like to stay a little longer? It's a Friday night, so you should be okay for time. I don't think Beth will be going to sleep for a while after all the excitement she just had."

Quinn opened her mouth for a moment, before biting her lip and giving a pained smile. "Thanks. I'd like that."

Puck, who had been playing with Beth, shot her a megawatt smile as he twirled Beth around, looking every bit the proud father. Hesitantly, Quinn waved her over beside them with a smile tugging on the side of her lips.

Shelby felt as though her heart had been set free. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was an incredible, breathtaking sensation. She felt as though she could defy gravity, to sing and dance her heart away. Then, she managed to pinpoint exactly what it was.

She felt young.

**Next up: Rachel. (Who else?) In the final chapter.**


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